Having a strong pool of talent to hire from helps businesses zip ahead. Likewise, companies that struggle to fill openings with qualified candidates are at risk of running on empty.

That’s why workforce development is so important – and why Governor Mark Dayton has proclaimed September Workforce Development Month.

“Strengthening the talent pool is a critical part of the workforce development equation,” said Rick Caligiuri, director of DEED’s Unemployment Insurance Program and interim director of DEED’s Employment and Training Programs Division.

“But just as important is helping businesses determine the skills they need – and assisting them in finding or training workers to meet those needs.”

Here are some of the workforce resources, programs and services that DEED and its partners provide for Minnesota employers – most at no cost.

Personalized service, online tools, job/career fairs and more

Business service representatives (BSRs): This is a statewide network of professionals who specialize in helping businesses find solutions to many of their workforce challenges. They conduct more than 500 business consultations each month. They can help businesses:

• Find qualified workers
• Analyze hard-to-fill positions
• Write effective job postings
• Obtain tax credits for new hires
• Review bonding information
• Determine competitive salaries

Their efforts include connecting employers to hiring and retention resources including recruitment events, tax credits, labor market information, state labor exchange, training providers and employer workshops.

“We appreciate the partnership and resources that you and your organization provide us,” said one vice president of operations. “DEED continues to be our #1 resource for successfully recruiting employees!”

MinnesotaWorks.net: This is an online job database where employers and job seekers can find each other. In 2015, close to 800,000 jobs were posted and 4 million searches were conducted by job seekers. MinnesotaWorks.net allows employers to:

• Search the state’s largest online resume database
• Post job openings at no fee
• Use job match technology to find top candidates
• Save resumes to review and recruit later
• Receive emails when resumes match your job criteria

“MinnesotaWorks.net is the first place I turn to when I need to hire,” wrote one employer in a survey.

“I like that it is very easy to use and navigate and it reaches a vast array of people with the skills we are looking for,” wrote another employer.

Job/career fairs: This calendar lists job/career fairs across the state. Some are large events organized by DEED and its partners, others are smaller hiring events. DEED also invites employers to submit information about their own job/career fairs.

In an email, the director of recruitment for a Minneapolis-based senior housing and health care provider noted the benefits. After attending a health care hiring event in July at the Hennepin South WorkForce Center in Bloomington, her organization hired a front desk receptionist and was in the process of interviewing several nurse candidates.

“Thank you for coordinating these events,” she wrote. “They are definitely beneficial for employers and job seekers, too!”

Finding workers: In addition to programs and services listed above, this section on DEED’s website highlights other resources for employers. These include assistance on:

• How to hire a veteran
• Hiring people with disabilities
• Hiring incentives and tax credits
• Location and expansion assistance

Minnesota also offers various apprenticeship and training grant opportunities to help businesses develop their workforces.

Throughout the month, DEED will be highlighting these and other workforce development programs and services – as well as sharing success stories – on our DEED Developments blog and our MinnesotaWorks.net blog.

For even more detail, take a look at our Job Service Annual Report and MinnesotaWorks.net Annual Report.